105 East lanes closed after body found

August 25, 2008 6:33:58 AM PDT

All lanes of the 105 East at Wilmington were shut down for police investigation.Police said a body was found on the roadway at about 5:30 a.m. near Watts. They said a man in his 40s was walking along the freeway when he was struck.

Authorities said a pedestrian walking either on the Central Avenue onramp, or the freeway itself, was struck and killed. It's likely the body was run over by several vehicles following the initial impact. The body was found a half mile from where authorities believe the victim was first hit. Police are relying on witness accounts to find the vehicle that first collided with the victim.

"There's a possible late model red pickup truck that stopped behind the body. We're unsure at this point in time if that vehicle was involved or if it was just a witness that came up on the scene at a later time," said CHP officer Edward McElroy.

The three-hour closure created a traffic nightmare during the Monday morning commute. Commuters were forced to take local roads while police investigated.

The California Highway Patrol began reopening lanes just before 9 a.m.